In the ongoing saga of the mosque being built at ground zero we find out Imam Rauf is on a mideast tour to promote religious tolerance that will cost $16,000 and will include per diem and honorarium and all this is being paid for by the State Department which gets their money from the taxpayers. The article also mentions this Imam made trips like this during the Bush administration. So the question I have is why doesn’t the State Department pay for this Imam to meet with the 9/11 families to promote respect and honor for them and to the rest of this nation for the pain he is causing by wanting to build this mosque?

Secondly, here we have the US government paying for this Imam to take these trips to the middle east and sometimes makes me wonder of all this turmoil about this mosque and other issues like this are a smoke screen to hide the real problems in this nation!! Again, I realize this Imam has the right to build this mosque but the decent thing to do is to build it somewhere else. But, it seems like our government speaks out of the both sides of its mouth and we as the citizens are left to wonder what really is the truth. The media play this up and the population gets all in a frenzy and in the meantime we ignore the serious issues of this nation; like it being bankrupt!!

In conclusion I would say that if this Imam wants to promote religious tolerance in the middle east then let those countries pay for it! Why should our tax dollars be spent to send this Imam to the middle east when he is sticking it in the eye of this nation by wanting to build this mosque at ground zero. (Link info below)

I have two follow-up observations to my last post on this subject. A few days ago one of the founders of Hamas said the mosque should be built in the location selected near ground zero. Hmmm… I say to him he why don’t we send an organization to Lebanon, Syria or wherever this leader of Hamas is located and start building churches or synagogues. Better yet, how about building a huge multi story church next to the Dome of The Rock in Jerusalem and see how Hamas and these other muslim groups feel about that!! I find it very hypocritical and odd why the mosque has to be built near ground zero!! To me it doesn’t make sense and there appears to be another motive.

Secondly, it has been reported that Senator Harry Reid the majority leader in the Senate has come out against the building of the mosque. Reid is apparently in a tough senate race and has decided to oppose the mosque for political reasons. Rest assured Reid would thumb his nose at the citizens of Nevada and the rest of this nation concerning the mosque if he was not in the fight for his political life!! While the right do build the mosque is undeniable, do the right thing out of consideration for the 9/11 families and this nation, build it somewhere else. Why put the families and nation through this when there is no need to do so.